Piero Umiliani ‎– Smog 1962 (Rca)

Label : RCA Italia

Value : From 1200 to 1800 euros (original press)

The soundtrack to Franco Rossi's 1962 film Smog is the second-to-last collaboration between famed Italian composer Piero Umiliani and then self-exiled trumpeter Chet Baker. The pair had previously worked together on 1958's I Soliti Ignoti, 1959's Audace Colpo dei Soliti Ignoti, and 1960's Urlatori Alla Sbarra, and later collaborated on 1964's Intrigo a Los Angeles. On Smog we get the best of both worlds: the composer and arranger is featured prominently his charts for "Dawn" and the title track -- both excellent vehicles for vocalist Helen Merrill -- are the stuff of dreams. Umiliani's sense of timing, space, texture, and color is magnificent. In addition, his sophisticated sense of humor is displayed on "California in the Summer," as it fully engages Latin rhythms in a hard bop setting (not to mention deliberate quotes from "Tequila" in one section). Baker's soloing is as meaty and muscular and as it is on his Roulette sides from a year later. (Check "Tension," with the orchestra kicking in on the back of the quartet delivering a mean Latin bop groove, or his soulful flügelhorn on the noir-ish fingerpopper "Smog II.") That said, whenever his requisite expressiveness is called for -- as on "Twilight in Los Angeles" -- he delivers big. And though Baker doesn't solo on every track, Umiliani's tunes are so hip and his charts so imaginative that he doesn't need to. Schema's Rearward imprint has done it again in reissuing this priceless gem. (A note for audiophiles: the sound on this single volume is far better than on the box set of the complete film scores from the Moochin' About label.)

Taste :

Piero Umiliani ‎with Chet Baker – Neapolitan Phantasy

Piero Umiliani ‎– California In The Summer

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By Electric Looser

Charlie Byrd ‎– More Brazilian Byrd 1967 (Columbia)

Label : Columbia

Value :

Creating a stirring and enriching blend of Spanish and Latin American flavors in his music, jazz guitar legend Charlie Byrd put Brazilian bossa nova on the map in the States with this follow-up, More Brazilian Byrd. With finesse and dexterity, the passion and lively soul of his melodies and lyricisms flow from Byrd's classical guitar like a river of musical heaven. From the charging and percussion-laden opening track, Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba," to the mellowness and gentle innocence of "Pretty Butterfly," Byrd tackles a wide variety of dynamic textures, beats, and color tones with honesty and zest. Throughout the record, both its driving, uplifting side and its peaceful, ethereal tones (as on "Felicidade" and the quite sorrowful "How Insensitive"), Byrd demonstrates his ability to capture the heart and soul of the pieces with vintage style, grace, and a touch of romance. His backing band also deserves much credit for presenting such compelling and richly textured percussion and melodies. Joe Byrd takes the music to a higher level with richly textured, crisp basslines. Bill Reichenbach assumes the duties of percussion and drums, bringing them to the center with dazzling and soaring bossa riffs. The strings are orchestrated and arranged by the genius of Tom Newsom, creating a brilliant portrait, both shadowy and haunting at times. Hal Posey puts a charge into the trumpet and flügelhorn, with producer Teo Macero sharing time on saxophone. The string arrangements sound quite eerily like Miles Davis' work with Gil Evans. The reason may lie in the identification of the sheer sound of '60s jazz, this record especially being used as a key model of the decade's most defining works. Wonderfully arranged and lavishly produced, this record is a perfect fit into the collection of any avid jazz fan. Filled with marvelous guitar phrasing, radiant horn and flute leads, and crackling percussion, More Brazilian Byrd is just plain "more Brazilian."By All music

Taste :

Charlie Byrd ‎- Agua De Beber

Charlie Byrd ‎- How Insensitive

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By Electric Looser

Charles Mingus ‎- Shadows 2015 (Doxy)

Label : Doxy

Value :

A great early moment for the legendary Charles Mingus – music that was used in the equally-legendary film Shadows – the first directorial effort from a young John Cassavetes! The album's worth it alone for the unusual piece "Untitled Percussion Composition" – one of the loosest, sparest Mingus moments ever – and a work that features Charles on both piano and percussion, alongside more percussion from Dannie Richmond, Horace Parlan, Jimmy Knepper, and Clarence Shaw – with a sublime flute solo from Shafi Hadi over the top! The rest of the tracks are more familiar moments from the key Mingus year of 1959 – played by groups with John Handy on alto, Booker Ervin and Shafi Hadi on tenor, and either Richard Wyands or Horace Parlan on piano.

Taste :

Charles Mingus ‎- Untitled Percussion Composition
 

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By Electric Looser

Britxotica 2016 (Trunk Records)

Britxotica - London's Rarest Primitive Pop & Savage Jazz

Label : Trunk

Value :

Not exotica, but Britxotica – a cool variant of the American postwar love of the sounds of the islands and the jungles – served up here in a really hip batch of tracks from the UK scene of the late 50s and early 60s! Many of these numbers are rooted in jazz, and there's definitely some key jazz musicians in the mix – but you'll also hear lots of the percussion, global instruments, and moody orchestrations you'd find on American records by folks like Les Baxter or Martin Denny – although sometimes with an even groovier vibe, and a nice London twist – similar to some of the Croydon Municipal compilations from Cherry Red!By Dusty

Taste :

Sounds Incorporated  - Taboo

Britxotica Goes East! – Persian Pop & Casbah Jazz From The Wild British Isles!

Label : Trunk

Value :

Groovy Brit tunes with exotic Far East influences – affectionately compiled by the deep digging geniuses at Trunk Records! Persian Pop & Casbah Jazz From The Wild British Isles is an apt description, alright – as the vibe is very much in a bright, groovy late 50s/early 60s Brit mode, with jazzy pop and hip soundtrack style to spare – with lyrical and instrumental odes to the Far East that are sweet and endearing in ways that transcend the cheeky exotica of the time. Wonderful stuff – with tunes by The Beverley Sisters, Chico Arnez, Johnny Keating, Tony Osborne, Ray Ellington and more. By Dusty

Taste :

Kenny Day The sheik of Marocco

Tropical Britxotica! – Polynesian Pop & Placid Jazz From The Wild British Isles

Label : Trunk

Value :

The Britxotica sound is back in wonderful form – that fantastic postwar meeting of musical modes that happened every bit as much on the London scene as it did in the US! In fact, given the Caribbean and colonial ties of British culture, we might almost make the argument that some of these tunes have more of an authentic imprint than American exotica of the time – although "authentic" is hardly the name of the game here – as the music really gets its charms from the way that the sounds of the islands are reworked for the dancefloors of Soho at the end of the 50s. By Dusty

Taste :

Lucille Mapp - Mangoes

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By Dj Bwana

Nico Fidenco ‎- Black Emanuelle 1975 (Fida Record)

Label : Fida Record

Value :

Legendary erotic cinema sounds! All the music is composed by Nico Fidenco, and it's got a vibe that's different from a lot of other Italian soundtracks, and which sounds a bit like some of the French stuff of the 70s, particularly the scoring that was being done by Serge Gainsbourg at the time. There's lots of isolated instruments, slowly gyrating basslines, choppy guitar, and cool electronic bits on keyboards or other instruments. Titles include "Skin In The Wind", "Black Rhythm", "Samba Safari", "Skin To Skin", "Wild Cry", and "Black Emmanuelle", a vocal track sung by Bull Dog.

Taste :

Nico Fidenco ‎- Thoughtless

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By Electric Looser

Alessandro Alessandroni - Panoramic Feelings 1971 (Canopo)

Label : Canopo

Value :

A beautiful sound library gem from the legendary Alessandro Alessandroni – recorded for the commercial Flipper label, and issued publicly here for the first time ever! The music is sublime – that side of Alessandroni that came closest to the bossa and vocal styles of Ennio Morricone in the late 60s – with lots of breezy rhythms at the bottom, and a blend of instrumental passages, wordless chorus lines from I Cantori Moderni, and even some of that famous whistling from Alessandroni himself! We especially love the chorus bits – as they almost feel like The Swingle Singers trying to follow an Edda Dell'Orso sort of pathy – blended here with cool keyboards, including some totally wonderful electric harpsichord! By Dusty

Taste :

Alessandro Alessandroni - Overcraft

Alessandro Alessandroni - Foggy Town

Alessandro Alessandroni - North Wind

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By Electric Looser

Gianni Ferrio & Gino Marinacci ‎– Lady Bossa Nova In Italy 1963 (Cam)

Label : Cam

Value :

Marina Moran sings two refined tunes plenty of bossa-jazz flavours "Un Desidero Per L'estate" and  "Non Me Dire "Adeus" . The first in Italian, the second in Brazilian. Arrangements and orchestra Gianni Ferrio.The line-up features some important Italian jazzmen such as Gino Marinacci on flute, Livio Cerveglieri on tenor sax, Enzo Grillini on guitar, Biagio Marullo on trombone.

Taste :

Gianni Ferrio & Gino Marinacci ‎- Non Me Dire "Adeus (feat.Marina Moran)

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By Electric Looser

Les Baxter And His Orchestra ‎– Ritual Of The Savage 1951 (Capitol)

Label : Capitol

Value :

A masterpiece of exotica! Ritual Of The Savage is one of those must-have albums from the 50s – a super-huge record upon its initial release, and an album that pushed the genre of exotica far further than most others at the time! Before this record, most attempts at exotica were simple instrumental pop, colored with slight worldly instrumentation – or too-dreamy recordings, putting over a sleepy version of life on the islands. Enter Les Baxter, who had an amazing ear for sounds, rhythms, and arrangements – one that was the first to record this sort of music in a way that was sonically evocative, and could stand on its own without other referents. Instrumentation is often conventional, but used oddly here – and Baxter's original compositions are all pretty darn great – playful without being goofy, and nicely mixing Latin and Pacific rhythms at the bottom.

Taste :

Les Baxter - Kinkajou

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By Electric Looser

Eden Ahbez "Nature Boy" - Eden's Island (The Music Of An Enchanted Isle) 1960 (Del-Fi Records)

Label :  Del-Fi Records

Value : From 200 to 300 euros (Originally released)

It is 1960, Rock’n’Roll has just lost a couple of its protagonists during this and the previous year, the time of the great balladeers has just begun but soon will run out due to the new and exciting beat invasion. In US mainstream the tiki culture has reached a certain peak and is about to collapse but still goes strong and with it comes the so called “exotica” music, a crossover between smooth jazz and swing, Latin grooves, haunting melodies that are rooted in the folkloristic sounds from different parts of this world plus weird sound effects that often create a spooky jungle or dreamy island beach atmosphere. It can even bend your mind that far you would see palm trees growing out of your speakers and witness monkeys and parrots having fun in your room.

Eden Ahbez, born in 1908, passed in 1995, a man living an even more consistent dropout and hippie lifestyle way before the movement was born in the mid 60s, a beat poet and composer who wrote the hit tune “Nature boy” that gave Nat King Cole his first big success in 1947,
approaches the field of exotica music from a different point of view creating an epic concept album about an utopian society living in peace and harmony on an island far away from the modern western world as we know it. And indeed we find many trademarks of the prototypical exotica music beginning with this relaxed groove combining easy listening swing and Latin patterns, peaceful, dreamy and even transcendental vocal melodies, tinges of folk music from around the world including powerful dances and a whole color palette of mind expanding sounds giving the whole music an even greater depth and width.

The latter being created entirely with real instruments such as Eden Ahbez' wood-flute. Some tunes are rather gentle and relaxed with the lyrics being narrated which adds much to the epic feel of the album. Since this is a really unique effort, I cannot really compare it to any other musical piece of the genre but definitely recommend it to exotic aficionados who for example love Frank Hunter's "White goddess" album from 1959. Psychedelic music before the term was even invented.

Taste :

Eden Ahbez ‎- Island Girl

Eden Ahbez - Market Place

Eden Ahbez - Tradewind

Eden Ahbez - Eden's Cove

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By Electric Looser

Μαίρη Λώ - Γιατί Γιατί Γιατί (Quizás, Quizás, Quizás) 1949

Το όνομα Μαίρη Λώ ήταν το καλλιτεχνικό ψευδώνυμο της Ελληνίδας τραγουδίστριας του ελαφρού τραγουδιού Μαρίας Μαντωνανάκη.

 Γεννήθηκε στο Παλαιό Φάληρο. Διακρίθηκε ιδιαίτερα με την ιδιότυπη φωνή της στην εκτέλεση ελαφρών τραγουδιών των Αττίκ, Νίκυ Γιάκοβλεφ που ήταν ο ιδιοκτήτης του διάσημου στην εποχή του ζαχαροπλαστείου "Πέτρογραδ" της οδού Σταδίου, Ανδρέα Χατζηαποστόλου, Γιώργου Μαλλίδη και άλλων. Κατέστη πολύ δημοφιλής από τους δίσκους της με πλούσιο ρεπερτόριο, καθώς και τις ραδιοφωνικές εκπομπές. Είχε τιμηθεί και στο Φεστιβάλ ελληνικού τραγουδιού, λαμβάνοντας το Γ΄ Βραβείο το 1960. Εκείνο όμως που φαίνεται ότι την καθιέρωσε στο μουσικό αυτό χώρο ευρύτερα ήταν το τραγούδι «Ξαναβλέπω το μικρό το αμαξάκι» του Γιάκοβλεφ το 1954, που για την εποχή του είχε πολύ μεγάλη επιτυχία.

Μερικές από τις επιτυχίες της ήταν και: "Καλή αντάμωση ματάκια γαλανά" (1960), "Κοριτσάκι μου με τα παράξενα Κινέζικά σου μάτια" (1955), "Ράβε τα προικιά σου" (1953), "Καλαμαζού", "Θάλασσα θάλασσα" (1949).Συνεργάστηκε με τον Μάνο Χατζιδάκι ερμηνεύοντας τραγούδια του όπως τα "Εφτά τραγούδια θα σου πω", "Μη τον ρωτάς τον ουρανό"", "Το λιμάνι", "Η λατέρνα".

Παντρεύτηκε τον μουσικοσυνθέτη Νίκυ Γιάκοβλεφ το 1951, με τον οποίο απέκτησε δυο παιδιά, την Λένα (1953) και τον Νίκυ (1971).By wiki

To Quizas, Quizas, Quizas κυκλοφόρησε το 1949 και διασκευάστηκε αργότερα από πολλούς καλλιτέχνες σε λατινόφωνες αλλά και αγγλόφωνες χώρες. Στην αγγλική του έκδοση είχε τίτλο Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps. To 1958 ο Nat King Cole κυκλοφόρησε δυο άλμπουμ με διασκευές σε γνωστά τραγούδια της Λατινικής Αμερικής, κάτι που είχαν αρχίσει βέβαια πριν από αυτόν οι μεγάλες ορχήστρες της δεκαετίας του '40 που όμως είχαν λευκούς διευθυντές ορχήστρας. Ανάμεσα στα τραγούδια που διάλεξε ήταν και το Quizas, Quizas, Quizas που ήταν ιδιαίτερα αγαπητό και στην Ελλάδα απ το 1949 με τη φωνη της Μαίρη Λώ. 

Taste :

Μαιρη Λω - Γιατι Γιατι Γιατι

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By Electric Looser

Γερασιμος Λαβρανος - Rebeta Nova vol.1 & vol.2 1964-1965 (Polydor)

Label : Polydor

Value :

Και κατι για την τσικνοπεμπτη.

Taste :

Γερασιμος Λαβρανος - Το πες και το κανες

Γερασιμος Λαβρανος - Hully Gully στην Αθηνα

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By Electric Looser

Ganim's Asia Minors ‎– Daddy Lolo / Halvah 1958 (EastWest Records)

Label : EastWest Records

Value :

Charles Ganimian is Armenian-American musician known mostly for playing the oud. Born in Troy, NY, to Armenian parents, died in late 1989 in New Jersey. Ganimian played Turkish, Armenian, and Arabic music in the “kef” style of the Armenian immigrants from Turkey to the US. He played at Armenian-American dance parties as well as belly dance shows in the Manhattan ethnic nightclubs and elsewhere.

Taste :

Ganim's Asia Minors ‎– Daddy Lolo

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By Electric looser

Sven Libaek ‎– Inner Space 1973 (Festival Records)

Label : Festival Records

Value :

Το Inner Space του Sven Libaek είναι μια από τις πιο θρυλικές ηχογραφήσεις στην ιστορία της Αυστραλιανής μουσικής. Κυκλοφόρησε το 1973, σε μια σειρά ντοκιμαντέρ για την υποβρύχια ζωή του Ron & Valerie Taylor. Εφευρετικό, μελωδικό, αλλά και μυστηριώδη το Inner Space στέκεται περήφανα δίπλα στα κορυφαία soundtracks παγκοσμίως. Ο Sven Libaek θεωρείται ένας από τους αφανείς ήρωες της Αυστραλιανής Κινηματογραφικής μουσικής παρόλο που έχει γράψει μουσική για ταινίες και τηλεοπτικές σειρές στις δεκαετίες του 1960 και του '70.Το Inner Space θεωρείται ως ένα από τα καλύτερα του. 

 

Για την ηχογράφηση αυτού του άλμπουμ συνεργάστηκε με μερικούς απ τους καλύτερους Αυστραλούς μουσικούς της τζαζ όπως τον Don Burrows, John Sangster,George Golla και Errol Buddle, όπου αριστοτεχνικά και με αυτοσχεδιαστική διάθεση δημιουργούν μια δίνη πανέμορφης τζαζ exotica. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι, το 2004, το soundtrack είχε μια δεύτερη ευκαιρία , όταν αρκετά κομμάτια χρησιμοποιήθηκαν στην ταινία του Wes Anderson «The life aquatic with Steve Zissou».

Taste :

Sven Libaek ‎- Island of birds

 

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By Electric Looser

Sven Libaek And His Orchestra ‎– My Thing 1970 (Peer International Library Limited)

Label : Peer International Library Limited

Value : From 100 to 200 euros

This little treasure nonetheless contains some of his best & coolest tracks, including the superb "Misty Canyon", which is an absolute must-hear. Enjoy.......

Taste :

Sven Libaek And His Orchestra ‎– Misty Canyon

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By Electric Looser